Cricket Victoria Backs $50 Million Statewide School Facility Access Commitment

Cricket Victoria has formally endorsed the Victorian Labor Party’s $50 million statewide election commitment to unlock government school sporting facilities for community clubs outside school hours.

Unveiled at Northcote High School alongside Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Gabrielle Williams, Member for Northcote Kat Theophanous, and junior cricketers from Edinburgh Cricket Club, the initiative addresses critical capacity bottlenecks facing grassroots sports across metropolitan and regional Victoria.

The statewide grants programme scales up a targeted Victorian Government pilot conducted across Melbourne’s western suburbs earlier in 2026, in which cricket participated as an inaugural sporting code. By funding necessary security, gating, and operational upgrades across public schools, the policy opens existing ovals, indoor halls, and courts to local sporting associations, directly alleviating land-scarcity constraints in established inner-suburban areas where developing new greenfield ovals is commercially and physically unviable.

Victorian government leaders highlighted the economic and social efficiency of maximising existing public education infrastructure for community sport. Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Hon. Gabrielle Williams and Minister for Community Sport, Hon. Ros Spence underscored the statewide rollout following the western suburbs trial.

“Our local schools are community hubs – let’s open them up for everyone to enjoy.”

“Labor opens schools up. Liberals close them down,” Williams said. 

“Labor’s trial in the west was a success, now we’re taking it statewide – so more clubs and community groups can benefit,” Spence said.

Member for Northcote, Hon. Kat Theophanous, added: “Our schools have great facilities and now more locals will get to use them,” Theophanous noted.

Infrastructure Strategy and Grassroots Capacity

The policy alignment delivers immediate operational benefits for state sporting organisations managing rapid participation growth:

• Statewide Grants Allocation: Commits $50 million to upgrade security infrastructure and operational access protocols across Victorian government schools, enabling after-hours community club usage.
• Pilot Programme Expansion: Transitions the successful 2026 western suburbs trial into a permanent statewide infrastructure model, providing immediate oval capacity for junior and senior cricket clubs.
• Bipartisan Election Advocacy: Positions Cricket Victoria to engage with all political parties ahead of the Victorian State Election to secure long-term facility investment and shared-use community agreements.

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